Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-02-10
! r..s..n.rxpsrience reachc~.

Il Gexson.Expericnce Teaches.
Edwin X. Alsip, reputable real
oatate agent in Sacramento, in an ar
t7cle in the Record Union opposing
The introduction of irrigating bitches
- that section, and favoring the sink
7ng Of wells for the purpose of con-
veying moisture to orchards and vine-
yards, says:
The time is not far distant when
the irrigated fruit will not find mar
kot east of the Rocky Mountains, and
10 wine manufactured from unirri-
eeted grapes will sell for double the
price OF that made from irrigated
ones. When that time comes it will
be found that the land in Northern
California will be the only land that
will produce fruit without irrigation.
We shall let Mr.. Alsip's prophecy
70 for what it is worth. We merely
Sish to draw attention to the fact
that his argument. if sound, is greatly
% th !, advantage OF Southern Califor-
MA. It is only over-irrigation which
can injuriously affect fruits. Acting
On this hint, our producers need only
reduce the amount of water spread
over their fields. The less water re-
q1ired to produce good fruit, the
larger the area of land that we can
bring into cultivation. BY carrying
ont this principle judiciously we shall
ind .h It the available water OF this
county is amply sufficient to irrigate
every acre that can be reached
By it. We remember the time
when irrigators Thought that it was
nee essary to have water enough TO
frequea y food the soil in order to
prod ice good crops. In those days
great harm was done by the deluging
practice OF our cultivators. Don
Benito Wilson, who was a man OF
more than ordinary wisdom and dis
esrnment, did not fail, at very early
period, to see the folly Of redundant
irrigation, -and pointed out the fact
shat it was not only calculated to in
jure the crops, but to leech the vital
ity out ef the soil and impoverish it.
Not only this, but in places where
the chemicals of The under-soil were
favorable, it,sshad the tendency to
bring the alkali up to the surface, and
thus destroy the productive character
OF the land. He did much to miti-
gate the evil, common in those days.
of over-irrigation. From that time
to this our fruit growers have kept
reducing the quantity OF water given
to the trees and vines and increasing
the amount of cultivation of the sur
face soil; and well they have been
reward u for their advanced intelli-
eonce on the subject, for the best
fruits and largest crops are now pro-
ducel by those who use the mimi
mum of water to the maximum of
cultivation. We have perhaps not
yet reached the exact point to which
Irrigation ought to be reduced 80 as to
secure the highest success in fruit
growing. We know, however, that
we are finding out each year that we
can do with less water than the pre-
vlous year. And this fact has very
important bearing upon the future of
our secticn, for it mems that the
fim3 will come when there will not
bo an acre OF our mesa lands that will
not be brought to the highest state OF
successful cultivation. 1t is not many
years. counting time as it is measured
in older countries, ssince Ex-Governor
Pic Pico claimed that he required all
the water running in the San Gabriel
river to properly irrigate his twelve
hundred acre farm at the Ranchito; |;
aud made it warm for few farmers
living below him because they pro-
posed to carry q ditch from the river
above him to their holdings. What
has time proven? That the waters
Of the Ssn Gabriel and its offshoot,
the New River, now irrigate an area
Of land stretching from the Azusa to
the Puente at the east, and from the
Rancho Laguna to Los Nietos and
bcyond at the west = including
: territory Of over two hun
dssd and fifty square miles! Talk
abost watering corporation stock;
3>t water itself, asa an irrigating agent,
NIlI stand more watering than any
sock ever thrown upon tho market.
a ~ omit Jay GouId's famous At.
11Ie Telegraph Company stock.
0un fiends in Northern California